2020 ANNUAL REPORT

21 CRICKET REPORT “WHATEVER SUCCESS WE MAY HAVE ENJOYED AND PROGRESS WE MAY HAVE MADE ON THE FIELD, THE SINGLE MOST SATISFYING ASPECT OF THIS YEAR WAS HAVING THE PRIVILEGE TO PLAY AND COMPETE ONCE MORE.” Mick Newell amount of second-team cricket was extremely satisfying. It was really important to give opportunities to those players who missed out on selection for games – but it was by no means a given that we would be able to. The process of organising fixtures and implementing Covid protocols at Lady Bay was challenging, but it was critical in maintaining that structure of our system below the first team. In total, we were able to arrange seven days of second team cricket this summer – with six days of red- ball cricket and a T20 encounter withYorkshire.The performances of the likes of Lyndon James, with an eye-catching innings of 94 against Durham, and Dane Schadendorf, who scored a fine half-century in that fixture, showed the value of those games taking place. Both have earned their rewards ahead of next season, with Lyndon progressing from a rookie contract to a full professional deal with his home county, and Dane joining on rookie terms. Just as with the games at Trent Bridge, it was disappointing to not be able to welcome spectators to watch our Second XI, but that was just a fact of life in 2020.We certainly can’t wait to see some familiar faces at the Notts Sports Ground again. Similarly, we faced a greater number of obstacles than usual in providing cricket for women and girls across the county. The senior Nottinghamshire side were only able to take to the field for four T20 fixtures in September – but we saw a number of players make the most of their limited opportunity. Hannah Hughes showed her class with the bat, while teenage right- armer Rhiannon Knowling-Davies adapted brilliantly to the senior game. Just two summers ago, Rhiannon was leading the way in the girls’ U13 side. Having progressed through the U15 and U17 age groups, she was potent with the ball and nerveless at the death against vastly more experienced competitors. There could hardly be a better example for the girls in our pathway to aspire to. We also began to see the fruits of the work we have done across the region to create a new, professional